I think my Error led to the Death of a PC

[Majestic]

Tonight in our game an issue came up that makes me think I goofed during our last session, when one PC heroically died in the final conflict of "Tales from Wilderland".

In that game, our brave Dwarven warrior Frain was often at death's door. He kept getting felled in the final battle with the Gibbet King, only to pop back up time and time again as his companions rallied him with Song. He was Wounded (though it was treated), Weary, Miserable, and finally...dead.

I could have sworn I'd read something (and discussed here) how - once a character was Weary - it took a prolonged rest in a safe place (i.e. not on the road) before they could uncheck the Weary box.

Now it appears quite clear - from all the spots I can find it in the rules - that when a character's Endurance rises above his Fatigue rating, he is no longer Weary. On page 132 (Revised) it says:

Shake off Weariness
A Weary adventurer whose Endurance score is higher than his Fatigue rating after a night’s sleep or comparable
rest is now properly rested.

So I think our Dwarf shouldn't have been continually Weary as he soldiered on through the barren Withered Heath.

[Angelalex242]

...I thought you had to rest in a safe place in order to get rid of weary. Which can make it practically impossible to get rid of in hostile territory.

[Falenthal]

I think you did it right, Majestic.
If the recovery of Endurance was in the middle of a combat, due to Rally Comrades, then he couldn't rest properly (equivalent of a night's sleep).

See also that taking off a helmet doesn't uncheck the Weary state if you were already during combat. Or that dropping some war gear doesn't get you to substract its Encumbrance from your Fatigue Threshold until you've had a proper sleep and rest.

[Azrael Macool]

Well, it depends. Did he get Weary before he was able to take a prolonged rest at all? Because any prolonged rest will heal the Weary condition, even on the road. But healing using Rally during battle would not.

I'm sure it wouldn't really have changed much... Though I don't know the exact circumstances of your game. Maybe if he had not been weary earlier, than he wouldn't have needed to spend so many Hope points as to become Miserable, and he would have survived. Or maybe not. If you feel too bad about it, maybe offer the player a couple bonus points for his new character, as a way to make it up to him. Or something to that extent. Though if it was just during the last battle that all this kept happening to him, then you did everything right, and there's nothing to worry about.

[Deadmanwalking]

Yeah, it really depends on circumstances. You can't recover from Weariness during a battle, only with a night's sleep, so any time after he was first made Weary in that battle nothing would've changed. If he began the battle Weary after having slept the previous night and raised his Endurance above his Fatigue...then the stuff before the battle itself would've made him Weary was harder than it should've been.

What precisely was the situation?

[Rich H]

...I thought you had to rest in a safe place in order to get rid of weary. Which can make it practically impossible to get rid of in hostile territory.

I posted this in a previous thread, it may help you understand things properly:

A Prolonged Rest is generally a night's sleep. Note it doesn't have to be in a safe/sheltered space - ie, there are two distinct types of prolonged rest within the rules; those while travelling on the road and those when in a safe/sheltered place. For example, applications in the rules of the first is described on pages 109 and 163 of the revised rules whereas applications of the second can be found on pages 111 and 159.

There's an ambiguous reference on page 131 of the rules where a Prolonged Rest is not referred to being within a sheltered refuge, and refers to the recovery of Endurance but as page 163 also refers to recovery of Endurance (with lower amounts) when travelling then it'd be logical to assume that page 131 is recovery related to resting in a 'safe place/sheltered refuge' and page 163 is the reduced amount when 'on the road' (as it is described). Therefore, in addition, the references to Prolonged Rest for Healing Wounds and Recovering Fatigue on page 132 also refer to it being in a 'safe place/sheltered refuge'. Least, that's how I play them out.

[Angelalex242]

...I see.

GM in that game that's going to be run in 20 minutes said sleeping on the road isn't good enough, and hence, we were perpetually weary till we got to rest in a safe place.

[Majestic]

Yeah, there does seem to be some confusion regarding this.

The player said that his condition of Weary was all due to losses of Endurance during combat (he had a high Travel and also was Hardy, so hardly ever suffered from issues with Fatigue). So I'm thinking one of those nights of sleep on the road should have removed the Weary condition.

The player was pretty understanding, and we both agree it's far too long after to retcon anything. Last night one of the other PCs even named his Famous Weapon "Frain's Revenge", and he had that name inscribed on one side of his long-hafted axe in Elvish script and on the other side in Dwarven runes.

[zedturtle]

Yeah, there does seem to be some confusion regarding this.

The player said that his condition of Weary was all due to losses of Endurance during combat (he had a high Travel and also was Hardy, so hardly ever suffered from issues with Fatigue). So I'm thinking one of those nights of sleep on the road should have removed the Weary condition.

The player was pretty understanding, and we both agree it's far too long after to retcon anything. Last night one of the other PCs even named his Famous Weapon "Frain's Revenge", and he had that name inscribed on one side of his long-hafted axe in Elvish script and on the other side in Dwarven runes.

Yeah, I suppose so. Maybe give the character/player a couple of bonus XP as weregild?

I strive for mysterious, off-camera deaths... just in case.